Prehistoric Revenge
by Jo Maw
Summary: 'Finally, before hitting the harsh, cold floor of the ER hallway; Carter suppressed a small giggle. As serious as the situation had the potential to be, he couldn't help but think how perfect the comical timing had been..'
1. Comically Numb

**Authors Note: **This is my first ever fanfic, so I hope it isn't a complete failure. Please R&R, I'd love to have some constructive feedback so I can work on my weak points.

**Summary: **Carter gets a surprise from of one of his fellow co-workers at the ER on a seemingly normal day.. This is supposed to be set somewhere in the fifth season, so I'll let you decide whether or not Carter still has a beard! 

***DISCLAIMER* As much as it pains me to say; I do not own ER or any of its characters. **

'_The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it.'_ – Woodrow Wilson.

Carter felt as though time had stopped.

He had always thought that time was mutual; yet it was certainly not on his side at this particular moment.

He believed that time had slowed down on purpose just to show him what, of all the things in his life; he really, _really_ didn't want to be prolonged.

First, the pain hit. An intense, searing and remarkable pain that felt like it lasted an eternity.

Then his legs began to give way. His entire body was suddenly hit by a wave of weakness, washing over him.

Finally, before hitting the harsh, cold floor of the ER hallway, Carter suppressed a small giggle.

As serious as the situation had the potential to be, he couldn't help but think how perfect the comical timing had been…


	2. Life In The Abstract

**Authors Note: **This was an immediate follow-up, but the chapters following this one will come out a bit slower. I'm a perfectionist & will keep changing aspects until I'm happy with the outcome. Enjoy!

'_I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which, when you looked at it in the right way, did not become still more complicated.' _ - Poul Anderson.

Carol Hathaway and several other nurses, doctors and patients who had been carrying on with their day as normal simultaneously stopped in their tracks and watched, intently, what was happening before them.

It was a few seconds before anyone began to register the situation; they had all been witness to a rather surreal moment after all.

Three significant sounds had been made to provoke half of the ER to turn in the direction of the desk where the incident was unfolding.

Firstly, a loud snapping noise was heard followed by a whoosh of wind. This sound alone caused alarm to those sitting at reception who, in unison, jumped a few inches in the air.

Secondly, an extremely audible gasp was forced out of Carter along with a few throat gargles. His audience watched him crumble to the ground in pain.

The third noise, which was probably the most confusing and ill-fitting noise considering its predecessors, was a faint, but audible giggle.

This noise singlehandedly managed to fry the brain cells of the onlookers, preventing them from reacting.

'Holy crap.' remarked a man sitting in chairs, who, along with others, was beginning to recover from his temporary paralysis.

Doug Ross was the first to eventually react, Carol hot on his heels. He reached for Carter, managing to catch him seconds before he hit the ground.

**Authors Note: **Are you in suspense yet? This might stay as a cliff hanger for a little while until I finish the third chapter. I have quite a few chapters I'd like to release until I'm satisfied that the story should end. Please give me some criticism; I'd love to know what you think so far!


	3. Something New

**Authors Note: **The contents of this chapter came to me pretty quickly. It'll be a bit longer in comparison to the previous chapter which are both fairly short. Enjoy!

'_The world is not yet exhausted; let me see something tomorrow which I never saw before._' - Samuel Johnson.

The large, incredibly long, metal arrow had shot through Carter between his left shoulder blade and collar bone. The end of the arrow was protruding from Carter's back at an awkward angle and was laced in blood. Doug briefly examined the object sticking out of his co-worker and, despite the fact the injury looked severe enough to kill him, Doug knew it wouldn't. Judging by its angle, Doug, for now, assumed that the arrow had only hit the tissue in Carter's shoulder and with that assumption he bought as much time as he could with easing Carter to his feet.

He steadied Carter before attempting to lift him: 'Whoa, hey Carter! You with me? Okay, okay. Just big deep breathes for me bud, try to relax.'

He could see Carter wince at the gentle movement and felt sorry for the young doctor knowing the pain in his shoulder would be hell for the months to come.

Carol was swiftly kneeling at Carter's left side trying to support him without aggravating the area around the injury.

'Christ,' she swore under her breath, 'Carter? Do you think you'd be able to stand up at all for me?' A stupid question, but worth a shot; Carol was fairly certain there was no way she could stand up and walk about if she had a twenty inch arrow through her shoulder.

'Uh,' Carter attempted to reply in between the painful rasps of breath which he was trying to concentrate on slowing, 'I don't, I can't –' he managed before sighing heavily.

'That's alright, buddy,' Doug was scouring the ER hallway looking for a way they could lift Carter without moving the arrow, 'We'll just take one thing at a time here.'

A small crowd had gathered around Carter, some shaking their heads and others had placed a hand to their mouth. Many seemed to have forgotten the injuries they had come in with and were in the process of limping over to get a better look.

Behind the admin desk, Jerry could be heard shifting his weight around at ground level as though he was searching for something. This was evidently what he had been doing, as after a few minutes of throwing folders and loose pages about, he eventually produced a camera.

This provoked a nearby Lydia to put a palm to her face and sigh heavily.

Jerry leant over the admin desk, stretching into the entrance hallway were Carter was clenching his jaw muscles and trying to ignore his audience.

Doug Ross, amidst the buzz of the gathering crowd peering over his shoulder and balancing a now barley conscious Carter, managed to take heed of the desk clerk's inappropriate actions: 'Jerry, get the hell out of here with that!'

Jerry awkwardly engulfed his lower lip: 'Sorry, Dr. Ross.'

'Alright, Carter; let's just push you back a little bit.' Doug nodded to Carol who assisted him in easing Carter into a kneeling position. The sudden feeling of movement knocked Carter back into the land of the living and he withdrew a large gasp of air. A small pool of blood had collected by his left knee and a long red stain from where the arrow had pierced his skin was vibrant against the pristine white of his lab coat.

'Malik, can we get a gurney over here?' Carol didn't lift her head saying this; instead she concentrated on Carter's face; specifically his eyes to ensure he didn't slip back into unconsciousness.

Malik, hastily followed by Yosh, arrived with a hospital bed rather than a gurney.

'Alright, that'll be easier.' Doug announced seeing sense. He didn't know how they would have managed to lift Carter all the way to a trauma on a gurney considering he couldn't lie down with an arrow sticking out of his back.

Members of the security staff who had taken notice of the scene began to make themselves useful as they ushered back the crowd to make room for the doctors and nurses accumulating by Carter's side.

'Damn!' remarked Malik in an expression of awe more than that of concern for his injured co-worker.

'Okay Carter, we're gonna lift you up onto the bed now, alright?' Doug pulled the bed closer in preparation for the transfer. Carter made no attempt to reply to the attending; he was still concentrating on regulating his breathing.

'Count of three?' Malik had prioritized himself with steadying Carter's back.

'I'll call down a surgical consult.' Chuney was making her way past to retrieve a gown and gloves for herself and the doctors attending Carter.

'1, 2, 3!' A strain could be heard in Doug's voice at '3' as they lifted Carter onto the hospital bed. Seeing as the arrow was at least ninety per cent metal, Carter was much heavier than usual. He let out a strangled, high-pitched groan as he grimaced in pain from the simple transfer.

'Good job, Carter! Just relax now. That's the bad part over.' Carol didn't know who she was trying to kid. How were they going to take the damn thing out? This was probably the easiest part. She could tell by looking at Carter that she was not alone in thinking how ridiculous she had just sounded. He glared at her for a few seconds with an expression that Carol read as: 'Oh, _really_?' She felt guilty then as she how much pain he was in; his situation wasn't going to get much easier by giving him false hope.

'Which trauma room's open?' shouted Doug, asking anyone who would have an answer.

'Trauma Two's free.' Replied Jerry, trying to redeem himself from his selfish act earlier on.

Alright, hang on,' Doug realised he was still supporting Carter at this point and started doing the math, 'Yosh?'

He came to the speedy conclusion that Carter would probably fall off the bed if he removed his grip on the young doctor's arm.

'Yes, Dr. Ross?' Yosh's usually happy demeanour was now a nervous one as he prepared himself to push the bed.

'You sit up next to Carter and support him. Do NOT let him fall.'

'Okay, will do.' I one swift movement Yosh had anchored himself on the mobile bed, using one hand to support Carter's back and the other to steady one arm.

'I don't –'Carter had managed to utter half a sentence despite the state of shock he was in, 'I don't f-fe-'.

'It's alright,' Carol soother, cutting him off, 'don't try and talk, just focus on staying awake.'

For some strange reason unbeknownst to his colleagues, staying awake had become an easy task for Carter. He was perfectly alert in fact. His eyebrows were arched and his dark eyes wide acquiring him a constant look of surprise. His eyes were glazed as they wheeled him slowly through the hallways of the ER and he didn't seem to be staring at anything in particular. He would have made a perfect addition as a horror movie prop if his laboured breathing hadn't given him away.

They turned the corner to the trauma as Dr. Mark Greene was coming down the stairs from surgery.

'What've we g-'Mark was halfway through the door snapping on his latex gloves when he abruptly stopped.

First, he glanced at the large object protruding from the patient.

Then he registered who the patient actually was, puzzling him further and argued with himself as to whether this was a hoax or not.

Then he thought: 'Well this is weird.'

**AN: **I'm trying to work in all the characters I can so everyone will read about their personal favourite. I don't plan to bring them all in at once though, that would be too unrealistic. Please R&R!


	4. Dazed & Confused

**Author's Note: OK. So, it's been, what, a month since my last update? Sorry about that... I've been busy relaxing to be honest; I finished my GCSE exams last month and those who go to school in the UK & Ireland will know how big a deal they are. They pretty much decide your future so I had to concentrate on them, but it's summer! I have all the time in the world to finish off this story & I plan to. There will be several chapters like the one you're about to read where you'll have an insight on what each character is thinking. It is basically a 'point of view' and chapters like these will be relatively short. Apologies for the long note, but I felt I had to explain myself for the delay. Enjoy!**

'_Every man is wise when attacked by a mad dog; fewer when pursued by a mad woman; only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion.'_ – Robertson Davies.

Carter's P.O.V.

For a minute there I thought I had gone deaf.

I specifically remember hearing a loud rushing noise; what was that?

After that… silence.

I realise now that the ER was in silence; nobody was speaking. It was the quietest I've ever heard it.

All I've been able to hear from then until now is my own breathing; it doesn't sound particularly healthy. Come to think of it, it hurts every time I breathe in. That's strange…

Apart from that I think someone has been calling my name for a while now.

When I was on the ground someone was beside me, I think it was Dr. Ross… I think…

Every time he says my name I open my eyes, when I close my eyes he says it again…

But I don't want to open my eyes again; I can't make anything out when I do.

It doesn't seem real; everything's a blur…

Dr. Ross lifted me I think, and someone else, but I don't –

I've felt light-headed ever since.

I'm on something a lot softer now, must be a bed, but I can't be sure…

I'm certain of one thing though; I'm definitely moving. The wind on my face can't be in my head; I'm dizzy, but I'm not _that _dizzy.

To be honest I can't really concentrate; there are too many voices now to tell who is near…

When I was on the ground, I convinced myself that it could've been a dream, but that assumption doesn't make any sense now. **Pain like this does not exist in dreams…**

It's not as bad now. They must have given me something…

What I don't understand is why I'm in pain…

What happened?

Why does my shoulder hurt so much?

I don't remember anything before –

Wait… Did I black out?

I don't know…

This is the most confused I have ever felt in my life.

It must be bad; I'm moving faster now and not by my own accord.

I couldn't be critical, could I?

I don't think so…

No, that's stupid. I must be concussed or something; that would explain why I'm so dizzy.

But, my head doesn't hurt…

What happened to me?

Is that a voice? Yes. I hear my name. Who is that? Carol? Yeah, I think it's Carol. There's panic in her voice. I should open my eyes.

I see… green? Green walls. Shapes; yellow shapes are moving around me.

I must be in the trauma room.

Oh God. Is it that serious? Am I dying?

I don't feel _that _bad.

I'm trying to speak, but nothing will come out…

What's wrong with me!

I – I feel dizzy again…

Help… I can't m-move…

N-no… no…

**Please, as ever, rate and review! I'd like to know what you think of my story and the more constructive criticism the better; maybe it'll motivate me?**


	5. Always Prepared

**Author's Note: I lied; it took me more than two whole months to get this next chapter up, I'd apologise, but everyone on FF forgets to update once in a while. I have a couple more chapters written already so they should be up soon too. Please, tell me what you think! I'm aware there aren't many ER FF readers out there anymore, but I'm going to keep going! One more thing; I apologise if I seem lackadaisical about medical terms, I'm not a doctor (or training to be one for that matter) so some of them may be incorrect etc. On with the show..**

_"Somebody should tell us, right at the start of our lives, that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every day. Do it, I say. Whatever you want to do, do it now." - _Michael Landon.

'Can I get a CBC, Chem 7, EKG, ABG.. .' Dr. Ross's voice cleared the silence in the room as a sudden burst of action saw Carter being moved from gurney to bed. An IV was already in place and gauze and all manners of medical instruments were being passed across the room in a united rush of adrenaline.

Dr. Greene was pulling on a pair of latex gloves and preparing for action. For the four or five seconds this took to do; he watched his co-workers surround Carter. He looked at the young resident's face; there was no trace of emotion somehow; Carter was simply staring into space, perhaps numb from his injuries. Unaware of the IV fresh in his vein, the pricks of the needle as one of the many nurse's swarming around his bed-side took a blood sample. For a moment, Mark wondered if Carter could feel any pain at all; but then as quickly as the thought had crossed his mind he was made aware of the situation at hand again.

'What's his BP?' Mark shouted across the trauma room as he approached the bed.

'170/90', Chuny chimed in as cheerfully as she could manage.

_That's too high_, Mark thought and he began consider how serious this could get if they didn't act quickly.

O-Negative blood was being hooked onto the infuser and Yosh had come around to the other side of the bed to continue his duty of being Carter's own personal prop-up without disturbing the other doctor's and nurse's work.

'How the hell did this happen?' Mark realised he should have asked earlier, however, he had just come to terms with the fact that his friend had a rather large arrow stuck through his shoulder and he was finally ready for an explanation.

'Long story short; he was shot at point-blank range and right now we need to figure out what the hell we're going to do!' The words spilled out of Doug's mouth as he put the end of a stethoscope to his new patient's chest.

Doug was right. Normally most trauma's wouldn't be this panicked, but considering the fact that, this time, the trauma was one of their own and that they would have to somehow remove the arrow without lying Carter down. Where on earth do you start? _Concentrate! _Mark shut off the worrying part of his mind so he could focus.

'In the hospital?' managed Mark as he carefully felt around the entry-wound trying not to aggravate the injury.

'No, it happened when Carter was in the forest shooting game with Robin Hood.' Doug retorted without flashing his usually smug smile.

Mark had to hand it to Doug; no matter how dire the situation, he could always rely on the presence of humour, even if it wasn't entirely appropriate.

'Carter?' Mark's mind, once again, snapped back into action when he noticed Carol hovering in front of the young resident looking more concerned than before, 'Carter, look at me!'

Mark drew closer and saw that Carter's eyelids were becoming heavy and he was clearly fighting unconsciousness. This was not good; especially considering the amount of blood loss.

Mark placed his hands on the young man's face. It was a ghostly white colour and freezing.  
>'Carter! He almost shouted, 'stay with us, come on.'<p>

Then an unexpected shriek caused Mark to look away for a second; when he turned back Carter's eyes were shut and his head had become a dead weight in Mark's hands.

The shriek had come from Yosh, apparently, who was now battling gravity in the form of a limp Carter.

'I can't hold him by myself,' Yosh panted, 'it's hard enough holding him up when he's awake! This arrow must weigh a tonne!' Sure enough Mark noticed the nurse's arms shaking under pressure.

'Has anyone called for a surgical consult, yet?' Mark demanded, as he beckoned a nosy janitor, who had been spying through the Trauma One windows, towards him.

'Whoever the surgeon on call is; they should be down any minute.' Haleh stated in a matter-of-fact way as she hurriedly hung more blood on the infuser.

'Man, what the hell is that?' the janitor was now regretting his earlier curiosity.

'All I need you to do is help Yosh here keep him upright; can I trust you to do that?'

'Yeah, no sweat, doc.' The elderly janitor nodded reluctantly as he set aside his brush and shuffled into position beside Yosh, 'Am I gonna get paid extra for this here?'

A united look of 'you've got to be kidding' momentarily flashed on the faces of every single person in the room before mayhem resumed. A BP was being called out every two seconds, Carol kept trying to wake up her patient with a monotone 'Carter, Carter, open your eyes, Carter' and there was always someone asking for fluids of more blood or whether the patient was awake yet or not.

'We're going to need a portable chest, Mark.' Dr. Greene managed to single out Doug's voice from the rest. Now, of all the times it had been uttered, the words 'portable' and 'chest' in this context gave Mark a headache. How the hell were they going to do that? He found the same question on Doug's face and grimaced.

This was going to be painful for Carter any way they did it.

Mark began to run through options in his head; _a surgical consult would be helpful right about now_, he thought. They obviously couldn't lay him down without killing him, they can't take an x-ray of him sitting up and they certainly couldn't take it sideways either.

Although Mark was trying to find solutions, he knew that there was only one way of taking the x-ray, hell, everyone in the room did; it's just they didn't want to admit that it was the only way because they knew it was going to be incredibly uncomfortable for Carter.

'Shall I order a portable chest, Dr. Greene?' Lydia asked, grasping the phone in her hand.

'No, not yet. I want to wait for the surgical consult,' Mark shook his head and then added a little louder, 'if they ever show up!'

Just as Mark was about to turn towards the bed, he noticed a flash of blue out of the corner of his eye.

Dr. Peter Benton was standing at the entrance of Trauma One, snapping on his gloves.

Doug Ross looked up and smirked to himself.

'Speak of the Devil.'

**AN: Et voila. More to come, LOADS more. I'm trying to get the balance right; I don't want there to be a crowded amount of hurt/comfort, but I still want to get all the main characters involved. So, tell me what you think so far? Reviews are always much appreciated!**


	6. Contradiction

**Author's Note: I'm feeling generous; posting two chapters within the week; must be a new record surely! I actually wrote this chapter before the last one, oddly. It was one of those things where the idea comes to you and you just have to write it down before it goes out of your head. I'd also like to say a big thanks to anyone who reviewed recently, you're comments genuinely inspired me to continue this! Anyway, enjoy…**

'_You must learn to face the fact, always, that you choose to do what you do, and that everything you do affects not only you, but others.' - _Holly Lisle.

She looked down to where her index finger had just moved.

A lethal movement.

Her hands were now trembling as the realisation of what she had just done hit her.

She couldn't move.

She was glued to the spot and she couldn't will her body to do anything else but shake.

She couldn't hear.

She hadn't heard anything since that sickening clicking noise. She could see people's mouths forming words which never reached her ears.

And she couldn't speak.

Lucy Knight couldn't speak. She normally had so much to say and would say it too fast for anyone, but now, as she tried desperately to surface the words she needed to say; they would not obey and for now remained stuck in her throat, making it hard to breathe.

_What have I done?_

Guilt was a thing. A living thing. An invisible entity punishing her for what she had done. She didn't want to see what she had done; she couldn't hear her surroundings, but she could certainly see them.

Carter was falling now. That was something she didn't want to see.  
>The angst splayed on his face was almost like his revenge for what Lucy had done; the expression on his face was like a shard of ice piercing her heart.<p>

_He's in so much pain.._

She could see it etched on his face as he looked down at the mass sticking out of his body.

She wanted to call out for him, tell him how sorry she was, how much she wishes that she could take it back. But these were empty words. Nothing that she said could deter from the fact that he was suffering because of her childish curiosity.

She recalled back five months ago when her enthusiasm and persistent curiosity in kick-boxing of all things had led to Carter lying on a gurney with a neck brace on.  
>And now this; was she a twelve year old?<br>Did she need someone know her limits for her and stop her being reckless?

Mr. Oldfield had let her handle the lethal weapon in confidence. He had been adamant that the safety lock on the crossbow had been flicked down so he wouldn't have any lawsuits on his hands after playing show and tell with the hospital staff.

_I'm going to kill that guy.._

Lucy looked down at the bulk of a weapon in her hands and noticed that, of course, the safety lock had not been engaged. She would have shot her 'accomplice' a red hot glance, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Carter who was now on his knees, about to crumple to the ground completely.

_Who am I kidding?_

It was her fault and only hers. She was the one who had foolishly pulled the trigger after all. Not Mr. Oldfield.

The guilt caught in her throat once more. She blinked for the first time in what felt like an eternity; noticing sudden changes around her. Carter had been moved onto a hospital bed by other doctor's whom she respected hugely, but who, she decided, were likely not to forgive her carelessness the time round.

She saw Yosh positioning himself on the bed next to Carter. She must have blinked very hard because when she next opened her eyes, they had wheeled him down the corridor out of sight.

_Carter.._

Lucy's relationship with Carter began in the opposite way she had anticipated it would. They were constantly at each other's throats and no matter how hard she tried, Lucy could not befriend her mentor.

But then, of course, things had changed. Something clicked. Carter became more than a mentor for Lucy, he was a friend. They had sorted out their differences once and for all.

_What will I say?_

Sorry didn't cut it. She could say it to him every day for the rest of her life, but it wouldn't mean anything. What she had just done could potentially leave and emotional scar as well as a physical once.

Her thoughts were interrupted. Someone was calling her name; they sounded so far away…

'Lucy!' Lydia stood at the admin desk looking somehow aged by the concern painted on her face.

'I'mma need that back na' Miss. Knight,' Mr Oldfield was standing inches away to her right, his voice nearly a whisper, 'I should really put it back in the truck.'  
>There was a strange caution in his voice as though Lucy would turn around and shoot him for good measure.<p>

_Rather him than Carter.._

The thought was morbid, but she meant every word.  
>She felt as though she was part of a criminal line-up.<br>_She_ was dangerous. _She_ was the enemy. **She hated it.  
><strong>  
>For the first time since she had watched Carter fall to the floor, she tore her eyes away from the spot. She lifted her head, scouring her surroundings. As she did so she noticed the entourage of people in front of the waiting area staring defensively at her. She had imagined they would run away after seeing how dangerous she was. But all kinds of people stood rooted to the spot looking appalled more than horrified.<p>

And that's when she saw security.

They were coming down the opposite halls from the direction of the elevators fast. 

That's also when she did something she didn't think she was capable of doing.

She ran from the law.

She threw the crossbow to the floor and felt her legs almost buckle as she attempted to run. Her whole body was weak and she was unsure of where she was going as she ran towards the exit.

_What am I doing?_

It didn't matter. She just wanted to get away. As far away from this place as possible. The place where she had had the worst day of her life.

The place where she had shot her friend.

**AN: Yikes. Sorry if that was a bit short, I hope it was good, and I hope you were surprised! Please review**


	7. Resignation

**Author's Note: So, I had a very rare amount of free time this week (rare considering I'm in one of my busiest years in school) so I decided to continue on. I've been getting a couple of really inspirational reviews lately which I'm very thankful for. One person mentioned they're not that much of a Lucy-pain fanatic; honestly, I have to agree! Lucy was never one of my favourite characters, but I felt the need to give some variety in my story and show how she would react. I hope you fellow Carter-obsessives didn't mind too much! So anyway, sorry if that was a bit long and tedious, on with the story!**

_'Oppression can only survive through silence.' –_ Carmen de Monteflores.

'What the hell happened?' Benton bellowed in his ubiquitous growl over the murmurs of his colleagues. What was already the usual frown on his face developed into a look of pure horror.

He practically leapt over to where Carter hung limply on the bed; he pulled out a small torch from his scrubs pocket and cupped Carter's head in his hands, proceeding to check his pupils: 'Pupils equa-' he began, but Mark cut him off.

'Peter, we've done that already.' He sighed placing his hands on his hips, then, noticing they were covered in Carter's blood, briskly took them off. Dark maroon stains now enveloped the sides of his lab coat.

'Alright, yeah. Sorry.' Peter trailed off. For a few moments there he had forgotten about everyone else in the room; the numerous nurses and doctors who had obviously covered these fundamental checks already.

But how could he concentrate?

Carter was sitting unconscious in front of him with an arrow sticking through him.

Now, Peter had seen some strange things in the ER; certainly a lot stranger than this.

But this was Carter. _Carter._

That annoying and over-enthusiastic med student who had hung on his every word. Although Carter still annoyed the hell out of him on a weekly basis, he had to admit that they had become quite close over the last few years.

The fact was, he respected Carter; he would never say that to his face, and without him the ER would somehow manage to be even more unbearable than it normally was.

This couldn't happen.

It won't happen. Benton wouldn't let it.

'CBC, Chem 7 –' before he could correct himself for ordering already received tests, he heard the mocking yet panicked tone of Doug Ross's voice:

'Been there, done that!'

'Okay then, so what now?' Benton retorted viciously in Ross's direction.

'We were hoping you could tell us, actually. We've done everything we can for the moment,' Mark piped up, attempting to keep the feud between his co-workers at bay for a little longer, 'But we were wondering how to go about getting a portable chest without killing him.'

His words were severe, but necessary.  
>Time was against them.<p>

Benton's mind hadn't been working as fast as his body; which had reacted automatically in response to what he had seen when he first entered the trauma room. He had been naïve when coming down to the ER in response to an emergency page; he was wondering whose spleen he would be removing today or whose fractured leg he'd be resetting and putting pins into. He certainly hadn't expected to see this. He hadn't actually been able to comprehend the seriousness of Carter's injury until now.

Now he had to think.

A bead of sweat slid unhurriedly down the side of his face as he considered what to do next. He knew he had to act fast; Carter was losing a lot of blood and he wouldn't last like this forever.

He gazed intently at the young man's vastly altered form; normally a spritely and healthy-looking person, Carter now resembled something you'd find in the morgue. His face was void of all colour apart from pronounced shades of ash hiding in the points of his cheekbones. Sweat clung to his entire face like bark to a tree.

All that was Carter was gone.

They had to get him back.

Benton knew what to do.  
>He could see that Carter's heart rate had quickened and if he didn't regain consciousness soon then he never would.<p>

Mark Greene expected the words that came out of his colleague's mouth, but the blow wasn't any lighter.

'We're going to have to remove it first.'

And there it was again; every doctor's dream at the end of a hard day, yet right now it was a nightmare..

Silence.

The tension in the room was like a choking fog; everyone knew what was going to happen, but they didn't know how to react.

Peter swiped a clammy hand down his face; he had to take control.

'Where do you want to do it?' The acceptance in Mark's voice was clear; it was evident that he was ready to do whatever needed being done.

'It'd be easier to do it in here; just in case he..' Peter stopped. He couldn't even think about that let alone say it.

'Arrests?' Doug finished his sentence for him. His tone was harsh; it sounded almost as if he didn't care that Carter was suffering next to him. Peter began thinking if that was the attitude everyone else should adapt: He's just another patient..

_No._

He willed his eyes shut when the morbid thought presented itself in his mind.

'I'll get Romano on the line.' Carol muttered as she quick-stepped towards the phone on the wall.

'No,' Peter almost shouted at her, 'Leave him out of this.'  
>He could not and would not allow Romano to stomp around the trauma room and shout constant criticism at him. Besides, Romano would never let them carry out the procedure they were about to begin outside an OR.<p>

'Peter, you know the rules.' Carol picked up the receiver and was about to dial when there was a noticeable increase in the amount of beeps sounding from Carter's monitor.

Mark and Peter simultaneously darted forward to either side of his bed. Although he could go into cardiac arrest any moment; they both knew that they couldn't shock him with the arrow still embedded in his shoulder.

'Shall we push epi?' Mark suggested.

'Are you crazy? If we give him epi he'll be able to feel everything!' Doug hung more blood onto the rapid infuser while he argued the fate of his young colleague. If he hadn't showed his emotions before, he certainly did now.

'Mark's right, if we don't give him epi now then he'll arrest sooner than I can take this thing out!' Benton dismissively pointed towards the arrow as he signalled a nurse to bring over an amp of epi.

'You'll be lucky if he doesn't die from the extraction of it alone!' Doug countered in a frustrated tone.

'Look, man,' Peter began, staring Doug in the eye, 'I want to keep the pain to a minimum for him just as much as you do, but if we don't get his heart rate up then he's going to die here and now.'

Peter told it like it was. He knew he was right and that this was Carter's best possible chance.

Doug threw a fatigued glance Mark's way and nodded.

'Okay, do it.'

**AN: Oh, heck. My apologies for taking so long to get somewhere with this story. I always write as though I'm writing novels, hence the chapters being so specific. The next chapter will take a while to write, but hopefully I'll have it up soon. To give you a hint as to what it'll be about, I plan to call it 'The Extraction', so look out for that. Once again, please review! **


	8. Death Row

**Author's Note: This is going to be pretty long; but I urge you to read it before diving in! First of all, I'd like to apologise for not having updated in over four months. I have been extremely busy with school work etc. etc. I'll be honest; I also started watching ER again last night after a three month break. Before that I wasn't in full ER-mode so it would have been pointless to try and write the next chapter. I have so much left for this story; I'll probably end up making it into two separate fictions, actually. So, anyway, I'd like to forewarn you about the following two chapters; it could get ugly. The previous chapter was written in a sudden burst of inspiration, leaving pieces to be picked up and put in place for this chapter. For instance; I don't know how I'm going to go through an entire medical procedure I know nothing about! That brings me onto another point; please be weary, I am not a doctor or even a science student for that matter, so I apologise if any of the medical references in this or any other chapter are inaccurate. I'd finally like to mention, you'll be glad to know, that in future when I am writing in different character perspectives I will add two chapters at once (e.g. my previous chapter which was centred on the point of view of Lucy Knight was relatively short; with every P.O.V. I will add another chapter immediately). Come to think of it, I decided on this change because of the reviews I've been getting, you people are brilliant critics and in a way you are shaping this story. There are too many people to thank individually, but I would just like to say a massive thank you to every single person who has reviewed this story so far. I've read every single comment twice by each person and your reviews have been so helpful in spurring me on to completing this story. Thank you! Yikes, apologies again for the world's longest author's note. Anyway, on with the story..  
><strong> 

Saying that the atmosphere in the trauma room was tense would be an understatement.  
>An intense throbbing of doubt circled every doctor and nurse in the room as they prepared to do the impossible.<p>

Inevitably, the rest of the hospital staff had heard the news of what had happened, as all of a sudden a crowd of men and women in uniform had accumulated outside of the trauma room in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the alleged 'arrow through the chest' rumour which had been floating around the hospital for the past fifteen minutes.

A nervous and irritable Dr Greene had been trying to ignore the greedy onlookers, but succumbed quickly to his annoyance of their unwelcome presence.

'Could someone please put the screen up?' his voice was raised higher than normal as he snapped his obvious disapproval towards the crowd outside rather than directly to one of the nurses.

The screen was only used on rare occasions, like when a patient required extra privacy or when they were forced to deliver a baby early, but the relentless infatuation that the doctors and nurses held outside willed the screen to move from its almost constant home at the side of the trauma room.

Malik and Lydia were quick to respond Mark's plea and obligingly opened the screen in front of the trauma doors. As the doors were hidden, an unsympathetic 'Man, that's gona hurt tomorrow!' was uttered from the dispersing audience followed by a disregardful laugh.

'Animals.' Carol spat.

Normally Carol would keep her feelings to herself, but she knew that she was voicing the opinion of everybody in the room.

'Any change?' inquired Benton who had been conferring with Mark and Doug in the corner of the room.

'Well his heart rate has slowed a little,' Carol replied checking the monitor, 'He should regain consciousness within the next five minutes or so.'

Benton puckered his lips together in an indecisive manner. He wanted Carter to wake up; of course he did, but, as horrible as it sounded, he wanted Carter to be unconscious for as long as possible.

The truth was; he was scared.

Scared of taking out this massive object without any form of anaesthetic.

He knew they were going to hurt Carter no matter what they did and there was nothing they could do about it.

'We can't do that!' Doug's shriek of disapproval brought Benton back into the discussion, 'He'll be dead before we can get through the other half!'

'Look, the vibrations from the electric saw is what's going to kill him!' Mark was getting more and more frustrated. The impatience was plastered all over his face.

'Nah, nah, nah, man. Doug's right,' Benton cleared his throat, 'the quicker we get through the metal the better. An electric saw'll cut it like butter.'

Mark pushed his glasses further up his nose placing his hands on his hips like a child. The situation was a lot to handle and they had to make decisions fast.

'Okay, okay.' Greene agitated, but accepting of their decision ordered one of the nurses to call ahead for one of the surgical saws from the OR.  
>He noticed a few of the nurses standing idle having prepared all the necessary medical equipment for the extraction of the arrow.<br>'Be ready,' he uttered assertively, 'just in case.' He added quietly, but loud enough that everyone in the room could hear him.

Without a word the nurses began to select instruments and equipment from different drawers and shelves around the room.

'You okay, Yosh?' Mark suddenly remembered the hidden nurse who had been keeping Carter upright the entire time.

'Never better!' Yosh managed; his voice strained, although while the other doctor's had been holding a meeting at the other side of the room, he had been able to prop Carter's side up with pillows to ease the weight.

All of a sudden a grumble erupted from someone in the room.

'What'd you say?' Benton turned to Doug who looked equally as puzzled.

'Wh- I didn't say anything..' Doug trailed off looking around himself in an attempt to find the source of the unexpected noise.

Another grumble, followed by a faint whine, was heard.

'Carter.'

Carol was immediately by the young resident's side as he began to stir.  
>Although it wasn't necessary; Yosh tightened his grip on his colleague as though he was even more vulnerable awake.<p>

The three doctors stationed themselves next to the bed in response to their patient's barely audible cries.  
>Carol took his hand and subconsciously began massaging it as they watched him anxiously.<p>

Carter's eyes began to flicker, but the light was too intense to open them completely.

'What's his BP at?' Mark moved his head towards Chuny, but his eyes stayed glued to Carter.

The tense nurse scrutinized the screen.  
>'14090.' It was improving.

Mark welcomed relief into his mind for a brief couple of minutes; then it let itself out.  
>There was still so much to do.<p>

'Carter,' Benton had pulled his flashlight out of his scrubs pocket and was checking Carter's pupils again. He was now aware that the young man was responding to the light being shined into his eyes; but he persisted trying to wake his ex-pupil from his slow state, 'Carter, come on man.'

Carter, becoming increasingly aware of his surroundings, grimaced as the light was shone mercilessly into his eyes. Squinting in the seemingly ubiquitous light, he could merely see a haze of colour in front of him.

Seeing Carter's eyes open fully, Mark took a step forward.  
>'Carter, it's Dr Greene. Don't move for me, okay?' Mark received a groan in reply. 'Can you hear me, Carter?'<p>

'Where?' Carter was barely audible. His throat sounded as though it had been rubbed with sand-paper. His eyes began to focus and he could almost make out the individual features of the figures that were crowding him.

Relieved at the sound of the familiar voice, Mark leaned on the side of the bed.

'You're still in the ER, buddy,' Doug let a small smile consume his mouth as he spoke, 'Do you remember what happened to you?'

Carter's breathing became heavier as he tried to remember; everything was still very surreal to him.  
>'N-no.' Carter managed a whisper and gave up. As hard as he tried he genuinely couldn't remember anything.<p>

That scared him.

This fear didn't go unnoticed by his co-workers.

'Hey, hey, c'mon, man,' the obnoxious beeping from the monitor told Benton that Carter's heart rate had increased, 'you're in the trauma room, but you're okay. You're going to be fine. Try not to worry too much.'

Carter recognized the voice, but not the gentle tone that came with it. That worried him even more.  
>He could now see as clearly as ever and was studying each colleague's face, willing them to give him more information. Why was he in the trauma room?<p>

'Carter?' he turned his attention to Dr Greene who was staring at him with a guilty expression, 'What I'm about to tell you won't be easy for you, but you have to promise me that you will not panic. That's vital, okay?' He paused coming closer to his patient, 'So what won't you do?'

Carter was the most confused he had ever been in his life. What was happening to him? He could feel someone caressing his hands, but he welcomed the heat they brought. He was freezing.  
>He didn't want to answer Mark. He wasn't prepared to make a promise he didn't know whether he could keep or not.<br>He was weary of speaking in case the words didn't come out.  
>But he tried.<br>'No..' he couldn't hear himself; but compelled by frustration, he willed the words to come, 'No p-panicking.' 

Accomplishment swept over him, but it wasn't long before it was being choked by another problem.  
>He had begun coughing.<p>

Yosh grabbed him suddenly to steady him.  
>Coughing wouldn't normally have been such a problem, but with a three and half foot arrow sticking through your shoulder it was a bit of a different story.<p>

If Carter hadn't been aware of any pain before; he was now.

Fire clawed its way through his chest as the coughing made his body tremble. Every single movement felt as though he was being stabbed by a thousand knives across his body. He gasped for air. He didn't think that kind of pain was even possible.

Seeing the distress his young co-worker was in; Mark grabbed onto Carter's arms, steadying him further. The arrow moving any more than it already had would be extremely dangerous.

Carter's moans of distress were accompanied by the scarlet stain on his dress shirt blossoming further.  
>The memories flooded back to him.<p>

He remembered seeing Lucy before his knees gave out and he fell to the floor.  
>He remembered being lifted onto a gurney and being brought into this room.<br>He remembered seeing the glint of metal protruding from his chest as it was now.  
>But most of all he remembered the pain. It was embracing him like an old friend; with a tighter grip than before.<p>

'Carter!' He could hear his superior shouting but the pain was too intense to reply, 'Carter, look at me! We're going to get you through this, now look at me!'  
>Mark wanted to shake him, but that was the worst thing he could do. He longed to give him some form of pain relief but it was vital Carter was awake. His cries of reassurance were not working; the young man was panting in agony and he had closed his eyes tightly as though it could make the pain go away. Mark knew he'd have to try something different.<p>

'John.' Mark was surprised with himself that he could speak so calmly in such a desperate situation. He didn't want Carter to feel intimidated so he put on his most encouraging face.  
>It had worked.<p>

Carter was still in a tremendous amount of pain, but at the mention of his first name he looked up.  
>No one apart from Dr Weaver ever called him John at work.<br>He turned to Dr Greene surprised that he was met with his first name again. It was odd hearing it coming from Dr Greene of all people.

'Remember what I said?'  
>Carter did. Don't panic.<br>He had hoped that that would have come out of his mouth, but it stayed stranded in his mind. He would have nodded, but he was terrified of moving anything.  
>He tried again.<br>'Don't panic.' He was proud of himself; that was almost loud.

'Good,' Mark squeezed Carter's arms reassuringly, 'That's good Carter. I know it hurts, but trust me, okay?'

Mark didn't wait for a reply this time. He disappeared from Carter's sight in the direction of the entrance. Carter's only reassurance now was the gentle pressure of Carol's hands enveloping his own. He could hear a muted discussion between Mark and a voice he had never heard before. His heart rate had picked up again; they still hadn't told Carter what was wrong with him and the silence in the room was suffocating.

The beeping grew faster.

'Carter, what's wrong?' Carol's concern was clear from the added pressure on his hand, 'You okay?'

Stupid question.  
>He closed his eyes.<p>

'Hey, Carter,' Doug Ross had been busying himself with signing off on his other patients charts. There was nothing they could do but wait until the equipment arrived, 'Keep those pretty eyes open, hmm?'  
>Carter's admiration for Dr Ross won him over and he opened his eyes. There was that damn light again; it was on a mission to blind him. Once his eyes were focused again he caught Dr Ross sending him the usual mischievous grin.<p>

Carter swallowed what little moisture there was left in his mouth.  
>'What, what are-' he was struggling to get the words out any faster.<p>

'What is it, sweetie?' Carol moved her head closer to Carter's; so close that he could smell the coconut scent of her shampoo.

'What's going to h-happen?' It had taken all his strength to utter four simple words. He was exhausted. It may have been a whisper, but Carol heard it clearly. She cautiously raised her head looking concerned.

Doug caught her eye and she moved towards him, repeating what Carter had just asked her. A similar look of uneasiness passed over Doug's face and he put the charts down that he had been working on.

Carter had seen that look on his colleague's face before; it appeared when a child he was taking care of wasn't responding to treatment or when he had to deliver bad news to parents, and now that look settled on Dr Ross's face as he looked from Carol to the aged linoleum floor beneath him several times before settling his reluctant gaze on Carter and moving towards him.  
>Doug pulled up a stool next to Carter's bed and sighed in resignation.<br>'Looks like I'm going to have to be the one to drop the bomb, Carter!' The ghost of a smirk danced on the corners of Doug's mouth briefly.  
>If this was Dr Ross's subtle way of telling Carter that he was a goner; the med student was not amused. He longed to shout, or even whisper 'Get on with it!' so he wouldn't be tortured by the unknown anymore, but he as fairly confident that his voice had joined the steady flow of blood that was exiting his body at such an alarming rate every second.<p>

'You may not want to hear it, but I owe you the details,' Doug shifted in his seat and looked over at where Mark was still in a distracted conversation with one of the other doctor's, 'Obviously you're not going up to surgery, you've lost too much blood.' Doug's eyes momentarily scanned Carter's red and white dress shirt noticing how overpowering the first colour now was.  
>'There's no way we can get an x-ray yet,' Dr Ross was slowing down as he spoke as though he was afraid of his conclusion, 'And sedation's ruled out with your blood count being as low as it is.'<p>

Wait, no sedation?  
>But how on earth could they get this thing out of him without any form of anaesthetic?<p>

'So, really there's only one option..'

No.

_No, no, no, NO._

They can't. No, they just can't!

Carter's mind reached its own conclusion at the exact same time Dr Ross spoke his.

'…we have to extract without sedation.'

And just like that Carter was handed his death sentence.

**AN: Alright, shoot me! I know, I know; it's still not particularly exciting is it? Well originally I had planned to merge this and the next chapter together, but I changed my mind. The next one is a little more action packed, I hope you'll agree! Until then constructive criticism is welcomed with open arms as always and hopefully the wait for the next chapter won't be as long this time!**


	9. Just A Splinter

**AN: I know what you're thinking. Yes, 8 months is a **_**very**_** long time for me not to have updated and I'm sorry it's taken so long. My main reasons for this insane delay include the fact that I haven't watched ER in a long time since I finished the entire series and I don't really watch TV apart from that so I haven't really been in the mood to give you another chapter. Also I have never had a busier eight months and it won't get much better I'm afraid. There have been more pressing matters on my mind than finishing this story. Saying that, I'm glad to finally be writing it again and hopefully chapter updates from here on in will be more regular although I can't promise anything.  
>Finally I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has reviewed, followed or favourited this story because I am so overwhelmed by the response I've received; I honestly didn't expect it! Even though I haven't updated in 8 months I've still received feedback and it's given me the motivation! I've read every single review and it's really helped me shape the story so thank you again. I'll not stop you from reading this chapter for too long, just take note it's quite short but I've done that on purpose. Thankfully I'm not suffering from writer's block just yet! Anyway, enjoy!<strong>

'_Perseverance does not equal worthiness.' - Lawrence Kaplow_

Carter's expression, apart from the obvious grimace of discomfort, was unreadable.

However, the alarmingly short intervals between heart beats voiced via the monitor made his fear at the thought of no anaesthetic very obvious to those around him.

He wanted to appear strong in front of his co-workers, but this was difficult knowing he was about to experience hell.  
>What was worse was that he didn't know whether or not he would survive hell.<p>

"Carter," he had forgotten Mark was there, right in front of him. Had he been talking for long? "You'll be okay."

_Liar._

"I promise you," the look Mark gave him was sincere. "We can do this."  
>As if sensing Carter's self-deprecation he added confidently: "<em>You<em> can do this."

"Yeah, Carter. I'm not having you die after giving up two damn years of my time to teaching you."  
>Carter welcomed Benton's humour as a contrast to the nervous and uncomfortable tension in the room, but he couldn't help linger on the word 'die'.<br>It seemed so heavy and real now after Benton had uttered it.

Carter closed his eyes and concentrated on his ragged breathing.

"You still with me, Carter?" Mark calmed down when he saw the monitor slacken in pace and the beeping wasn't as obnoxious as before. "That's good, keep doing what you're doing." Mark would snap him out of it if his pulse became too slow. For now he was just relieved that Carter was still aware enough to calm himself down.

Doug and Carol were hovering anxiously in the background engaged in a muted conversation, only parting to let a nurse through in search of medical supplies. However, both heads darted up at the sound of the doors opening. Thankfully Carter was concentrating too deeply to notice and he remained oblivious in his ironically Zen-like state.

He was thinking about his childhood and more specifically his brother Bobby.  
>He would always think back to that time in his life when he needed to calm down in a complicated situation.<br>Before Bobby fell ill there was nothing negative in his life. Carter always regarded it as the happiest time in his life. He couldn't recall being as happy since.

With the vigorous swinging of the doors entered into the trauma room a rather stout and blustered lab technician carrying a very expensive and intimidating electric surgery saw. He stumbled over to Benton and clumsily lay the saw down on the nearest equipment bench, painfully aware that his speedy arrival in the trauma room was imperative. This pressing feeling increased tenfold as he let his mouth fall half-open at the sight of the young man on the bed with the arrow jutting out of him.

He pushed his over-sized glasses up the arch of his long nose and looked inquisitively at Benton before swallowing and adding in a surprisingly authoritative tone: 'Romano doesn't know a thing, keep it that way until you're done."  
>That translates roughly as <em>'Romano'll blame it on me unless you tell him otherwise so hurry up before he finds out.' <em>

With that, he scampered out of the room, the doors shutting behind him.

"That'll be a fun board meeting when Romano clues in." Doug remarked staring into space.

He was delaying. Delaying the inevitable. They all were.

Everyone knew what came next.  
>No one wanted to do what came next.<p>

Silence consumed the room for almost an entire second before Benton picked up the surgical saw in his newly gloved hand. The saw whirred metallically at the brief touch of Benton's finger on the button; breaking Carter's concentration.

_Oh God.._

The heart monitor sounded furiously and Carter's eyes flew wide with distress.

Almost touching his co-worker, but restraining himself at the last second, Mark stationed himself inches from Carter's fragile frame. He could practically smell the iron from the blood which was still spreading steadily on Carter's shirt.

"You can do this, Carter," Mark didn't break eye contact. A deep fear rooted itself in place of the usual calm that was generic of Carter's eyes. Mark would give anything to see the usual smile in Carter's eyes again. He would give anything for this nightmare to be over. "We'll do this as quick as we physically can and it'll all be over, okay? You _can_ do this, Carter. I know you can." He took the young man's hands and squeezed them reassuringly.

"I know you can."

Carter blinked in the hope that Mark would understand that he trusted him.

_They won't let me die._

Mark straightened his posture and nodded at Benton, who nodded back swallowing audibly; the crystals of sweat on his forehead catching in the light which was seeping through the window blinds.

"We're going to start now, Carter." Benton said as clearly and as confidently as he could.

Carter blinked again.

Mark stood to the side allowing the already gowned Doug to assist Benton. Mark preferred to stand closer to the epi and defibrillators in case anything was to go wrong.  
>Carol sat facing Carter; she didn't want him to face this alone. She took his hands in her own protectively and gave him her kindest smile. He mustered the strength to squeeze her hands as a thank you.<p>

"Okay." Benton practically whispered as he stationed himself to perform the improvised surgery.

The entire medical staff in the room held their breath as the sickeningly whiny sound of the saw penetrated the silence for a second time.

Metal hit metal.

Carter held onto Carol's hands with all his might as though it would take the pain away.

This was _real_ pain.

This pain was so intense that a sharp intake of breath was the only thing Carter's body could do in complaint.  
>He felt numb; all his other senses were blocked out by the white heat he both felt and saw.<p>

Yosh held as tightly as he could to Carter's shaking form, grimacing at every pained grunt he heard.  
>Doug was holding firmly in place the arrow from the front, while Benton was working at break-back speed to saw through the metal.<p>

The blood on Carter's shirt had stretched to his waist by the time the ear-splitting sound of metal cutting through metal had ceased.  
>The nurses and Dr Greene stood by anxiously as Benton haphazardly placed the end of the arrow on a nearby bench.<br>Carol's heart was racing almost as fast as Carter's as she gently ran her fingers through his hair and wiped away the cold sweat on his forehead.

"Carter you're okay, that's one part done, you're doing so well!" The fear in her voice was evident as she smiled at the half-closed eyelids; an exhausted red standing out from the pale pallor of Carter's face.

He couldn't hear her.

Pain was consuming him. Eating away at his insides and surging through every single particle that made up his body.

"Beautiful, Carter, you're doing great, buddy." The corners of Doug's mouth hardly twitched.

It wasn't over yet.

Not realising the young man wouldn't hear him, Mark stepped closer to Carter: "Carter whenever we take this out," he hesitated not wanting to go on, "you're going to bleed very heavily." The reality was there was a chance Carter would bleed out completely.

_No, we'll get him through this._

"I need you to stay awake for as long as you can. I know it hurts. Fight it, Carter."

In one fluid movement, Benton had moved to the end of the bed while Carol had removed herself to allow the three doctors room.  
>The forgotten Janitor who preferred watching the trauma to unfold rather than helping joined Yosh for a second time behind Carter to restrain the man and keep him as still as possible. They had no idea if the arrow had hit bone or a main vein and the less wiggle room they granted the lethal piece of metal, the better.<p>

Mark picked up the necessary post-extraction instruments and waited with bated breath as Dr's Ross and Benton positioned their hands firmly on the arrow.

In less serious cases they would normally have the luxury of using specialist surgical equipment to extract foreign bodies from patients, but today time was of the essence. If they weren't quick enough, they would lose Carter.

And that _wasn't_ an option.

With a resigned look on his face, Benton turned his head to his colleague.

They made eye contact.

Everything was silent.

"3, 2, 1.."

Carter screamed.

A heart-breaking sound, full of unthinkable pain.

Carol winced behind her newly adorned goggles, the rims of her eyes swelling with tears.

_He was in so much pain._

All three of the doctors looked visibly distressed by the almost animalistic sound escaping their young co-worker's mouth and they hated themselves for putting him through so much discomfort.

Discomfort was an understatement. Carter's scream was pain personified and each doctor worked with ferocious speed to free him from the torture he was experiencing. They were desperate to stop the soul-destroying wails which ricocheted off the walls of the trauma room.

The screams came to a halt as Carter's voice finally broke and he whimpered through gritted teeth. He could feel the metal moving inside him. He felt as though it was pulling parts of him away with it and a black hole was forming in its wake. He felt empty.  
>Tears were rolling down his face as he felt his body crumble.<p>

And finally, the metal was gone.  
>The relief was excruciating and he almost longed to be reunited with the arrow to replace the untameable fire within him.<p>

_No more pain._

Carter heard his name before his world went black.

**AN: Yeah I know another cliff-hanger. A bit of mystery is fun though, right? As always please let me know what you think! **


	10. Biding Time

**AN: Hey so um yeah. I know, I know. It has almost been an entire year since I updated this story and that is pretty bad I'll admit. I'm sorry! I've have had a mentally exhausting year which included having hardly any free time so I'll use that as my excuse. I rediscovered ER again and I constantly received follow notifications or review notifications completely out of the blue so thanks so much for keeping with the story even if I'm terrible at updating it. No matter how long it takes I will finish it! Anyway, on with the story!**

"_Nothing is easy to the unwilling." – _Nikki Giovanni

_What the hell am I going to do?_

Lucy was cradling the fresh cup of coffee tightly in her hands, yet the piping hot porcelain failed to warm her past the icy feeling she felt deep within her chest.  
>She had isolated herself within a lone booth in the furthest corner of the café. Running to Doc Magoo's of all places didn't seem like the best idea in retrospect, but it suited her earlier desire to be anywhere but the hospital just fine. No one had been chasing her, but she ran all the same.<p>

She had never been so scared in her life.

Oblivious to the ubiquitous bustle of the café, now she sat all alone; a coward. Why had she run in the first place? Shouldn't she have stayed and immediately run to Carter's side instead of leaving him there to die after what _she_ had done to him? The guilt raged inside her, nestling uncomfortably in her stomach.

Lucy was eager to retrace her steps and return to the hospital to the face the consequences, but she couldn't bare the looks on her co-workers faces. Judging her.

_It's your fault._

No. She couldn't go back now.  
>But she couldn't just hide in Doc Magoo's either.<p>

There was only one thing she could do.

Run.

**AN: Don't worry, I won't leave you for too long…**


	11. Silent As The Grave

**AN: Hope you enjoyed that very short Lucy chapter. Like I said I still want to keep her side of the story in the loop, but I will be concentrating more on Carter! And yes, don't worry you will find out why he was laughing eventually. This is a pretty quick chapter too, but this part of the storyline is very important for how I plan to work out the rest of the story. Enjoy!**

"_I hope the leaving is joyful; and I hope never to return."_ –Frida Kahlo

There was an insistently bright light shining and the silence was deafening. It was neither hot nor cold and everything was completely still.

Carter could feel soft fabric beneath him and the air around him smelt familiar, but he couldn't quite place the scent.

He opened his eyes.

He was at home in his apartment. Everything was the same, just a little different. All the colours he could see were dulled to calming shades and his surroundings were spotless.

"Hey, Johnny."

The voice penetrated the silence making Carter shift his gaze to an achingly familiar figure sitting across from him on the opposite chair.

"Bobby?"

Carter barely managed to form the name that he hadn't uttered for so long. He could hardly believe who he was addressing. _It couldn't be._

"Yeah, Johnny. It's me."

Bobby smiled. _Oh how Carter had forgotten how wonderful that smile was. _He looked exactly as he did before his untimely death; only his pallor was healthier and his eyes were fresh and bright. The smile on his face was a stark contrast to the exhausted and pained appearance of his dying brother shortly before he was taken by the leukaemia. Carter saw even more of a tragedy in his brother's death now as he stared at the innocent boy, younger than he had ever remembered.

"I've missed you, Bobby."

"I've missed you too."

And Carter smiled. He smiled because in this moment he was happy. Losing his brother was the hardest thing Carter had ever had to deal with and now here he was, talking to him again like he had never left.  
>But the warming feeling the smile had brought vanished as quickly as it had come.<p>

"Bobby," he began in almost a whisper. "Is this _real_?"

Although Carter had recognised the dream-like aspects of his apartment, he was so focused on Bobby that he didn't care where or when he was.  
>Bobby's smile then faded too. He looked wise beyond his years as he stared up at his brother as though he were a man trapped in a child's body.<p>

"You know I'm dead, Johnny?" he replied, hoping his brother would understand.

"I know, I know." Carter's brow dropped as he realised it must be a cruel dream. There were countless nights he would be stirred awake by this dream. But it had never been as vivid as this.

"It's not a dream," Bobby uttered softly as if reading Carter's mind. "I'm just as real as you are."

And with that the penny dropped.

Bobby nodded solemnly at the recognition on his brother's face. Carter didn't know what to think. _Surely it must be a dream?_ He traced his hand over his shoulder as though the ghost of the arrow would still be there. _Or maybe not._

"Is this Heaven?" he asked feeling more like a child than the small boy sitting opposite him.

"I don't know."

Carter tore his eyes away from Bobby and gazed around his apartment once more. He noticed the window was open and also noticed for the first time the sound of a light breeze blowing in, gently rustling the curtains.

He tentatively stood up, feeling lighter than air and slowly moved towards the window. He looked out and unsurprisingly found the normal urban view he was used to. However, the people walking by looked different. None seemed worried, sad or angry. A similar expression of contentment graced the face of every passer-by. The sun shone dully in sky and the grimy and over-crowded features of urban Chicago which were commonplace could not be seen. The city landscape was simple and pleasing. And as Carter breathed in the scentless air, he could not help but notice the overwhelming sense of calm and peace that emanated from his surroundings.

He turned to Bobby and smiled wholeheartedly.

He was happy again.

**AN: But will he wake up? I'm not planning on leaving you waiting to long for the next instalment so watch this space..**


	12. The Art Of Dying

**AN: Happy New Year! So I've been busy with this story lately because I felt bad for leaving it for almost an entire year. I can confirm that I'll probably only do a few more chapters, it's about time I rounded it up really. This chapter is pretty long, but hopefully very tense as well. I don't want to drag it out too long and I probably will end up writing a sequel to this because I've just got so many ideas for where this could go. As always please review because it does genuinely help and I hope you like it!**

"_Never knock on Death's door: ring the bell and run away!"_ -Matt Frewer

The smell of blood hung heavily the air as the Trauma room was sent into frenzy. The relentlessly shrill beeping sounding from the monitor was an unwanted reminder that Carter could be dead any second.

Carter's lifeless form had crumbled onto the hospital bed with the final release of the arrow as the doctors and nurses laid him down. The blood was now flowing like water from his shoulder at an uncontrollable speed. Benton was working furiously to control the bleeding, the sweat lashing off his forehead as he felt the full force of the burden he was dealing with. He had to do his job perfectly or Carter would be gone.

_Concentrate._

Benton was focused. He was completely oblivious to the separate chaos ensuing around him. There were nurses running into the room with bags of O-Negative to feed into Carter's rapidly emptying veins, Dr Ross was administering even more epinephrine to the patient with steady hands and Dr Greene was shouting various orders all at once as he closely monitored Benton's work.

"Come on, Carter. Come on.." Dr Ross could be heard mumbling to himself as though the mantra would make Carter stabilise faster. He needed to stabilise. He was dangerously close to stroking out due to the blood loss, but they wouldn't let that happen.

Then Haleh half-jogged into the tense room looking flustered and catching everyone's attention for the briefest of moments.  
>"Dr Benton," she panted. "They need you in Trauma 2; there was a multiple car pile-up and they've sent two to County."<p>

_Not now._

"Can't you see I'm busy here?" he bit out, not lifting his gaze from Carter's shoulder. His fingers worked robotically as he continued to try and stop the excessive bleeding. He can't stop now. _He won't stop now._

"Peter, go. I can take over." Dr Greene stated snapping his gloves more securely over his hands.

Peter almost laughed.  
>"No man, I'm finishing this." Again he kept his gaze fixed steadily on his work.<p>

I won't let him die.

"Dr Benton that is an order. Now move, I will take over." Dr Greene's tone was sharp and authoritative.

Benton was becoming furious. They couldn't pull him away now! He knew he could fix Carter. He couldn't just walk away.  
>"Mark, I-" he started angrily.<p>

"Peter, go! Now!" Mark shouted losing his temper. He could understand Benton's position though and hated ordering him to leave when they all wanted to fix Carter.

Benton's quick hands reluctantly ceased their work knowing there was no way this battle could be won. He didn't want to leave Carter, but he knew he was in capable hands and after all there were other patients on the brink of death that needed his help. He couldn't just favour Carter over them. It would be unfair. He practically threw his instruments down and sprinted into the next ER, Mark swiftly picking up where Benton had left off.

"His rhythm isn't changing," Dr Ross noted staring unblinkingly at the monitor. "I'll give him another amp of epi."

"Okay, but no more after that. We don't want to flush out his system." Mark retorted concentrating on the lesion in Carter's shoulder.

"Carol check response." He said nodding his head towards Carter's. He had never seen the young man so pale before now, although the alarmingly serene expression on his face made is seem as though he was simply asleep, happily oblivious to the carnage unfolding around him.

"Both pupils non-reactive to light." Carol stated in a quietly panicked voice as she flashed the light in Carter's tired eyes.

"Still no change with 1 mg of epi," Doug let out a frustrated sigh. He scratched his head and turned to the nearest nurse who happened to be a very alert Yoshi who was monitoring Carter's pulse ox. "Get me another EKG and we'll see if that brings any joy."

Yoshi dodged other nurses and escaped out of sight to fulfil Doug's wish. Chuny was replacing another bag of blood when Dr Greene turned to her.  
>"How many units have transfused so far?" he ventured hoping the answer wouldn't be too high.<p>

"5 units." She replied uneasily.

That's too high.

Mark and Doug shared worried looks knowing that the amount of blood they were transfusing meant that Carter was losing too much blood too fast to replace. Realising this Mark forged forward even faster to try and control the bleeding as best he could.

And then..

"HE'S CODING!"

Flat line. That harsh and bone-chilling sound which flooded the Trauma room stopping the medical staff in their tracks for only a second before mayhem broke out.

"Goddamnit!" Benton shouted running back into the room having successfully stabilised his other patient.

"Doug, get the paddles now!" Mark yelled, panic obvious in his voice.

"200 cc's." Doug said lifting up the paddles, the sickening whine emanating from the defibrillators.

"Clear!"

The paddles were placed forcefully on Carter's prone chest, jolting his fragile frame upwards.

A united sigh of relief washed over the room as a stable rhythm sounded from the heart monitor.

"Goddamnit, Carter." Benton whispered in an exasperated tone. He briefly hung his head before carrying on with the work he was doing before leaving the trauma room.

"That was too close." Uttered Doug turning to face Mark. His frown deepened as he took in his colleague's puzzled expression. "What?"

"He's bleeding out too quickly," Mark pushed his glasses further up his nose as he pondered the situation. He checked the Foley bag under the bed, but it was clear. "There must be a secondary bleed."

"There is!" Benton said almost in unison with Mark's declaration. "It's deep, but it's there. It's a heavy bleeder but I can fix it."  
>With new determination, Benton somehow managed to quicken his pace and began to mend the muscle wall which was weeping from a large lesion.<p>

Mark looked between Peter's meticulously speedy work and Carter's pale face. He couldn't get over how peaceful the young doctor's expression was in contrast to the earlier pain which had consumed Carter's eyes so greedily. The torture his body was going through could not have been read on his face. In that moment he truly admired Carter for coming this far.

_He's still alive._

Mark got ahead of himself.

Again the shrill and endless noise of the flat line sounded, settling a cold and unfathomable fear in the pit of Mark's stomach. _No._

"Paddles again!" he managed amidst the relentless beeping, throwing his hands out to receive the defibrillators.

"No, no wait!" Mark spun his around in shock to Benton who was angrily still sewing up the lesion in Carter's shoulder.

"Peter-" he started.

"I almost have it. Hang on!" he shouted leaving his completely focused gaze on the lesion he was furiously trying to get rid of. The entire room waited with belated breath as Benton powered on through the hanging sound of the monitor.

_He's gone.._

Mark watched the clock anxiously, acknowledging every second that passed knowing Carter was further away with each.  
>"Peter, we need to shock him now!"<p>

"Hang on!" was the bitter reply, Benton's hands working more and more frantically.

"Alright go!" Peter barked with a final flourish as he cut the wire which he had been using to sew up the lesion with. He stepped away as Mark mercilessly slammed the paddles down on Carter's blue-tinged chest once more.

"CLEAR!"

The body landed back on the bed roughly.

"No change," Dr Ross noted. "Charging up to 300."

"Again, CLEAR!"

Another jolt of electricity surged through Carter's exhausted form.

Nothing.

_Time of death, 10:03 am.._

"CLEAR!"

**AN: I am so evil.**


End file.
